17.265
Public Opinion and American Democracy
Introduces students to public opinion in politics and public policymaking. Surveys theories of political psychology and political behavior. Examines empirical research on public understanding of and attitudes towards important issues, including war, economic and social policies, and moral questions.
Spring 2007
This course will examine public opinion and assess its place in the American political system. The course will emphasize both how citizens' thinking about politics is shaped and the role of public opinion in political campaigns, elections, and government.
Readings
- Asher, Herbert. Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know . 6th ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2004. ISBN: 9781568028330.
- Berinsky, Adam. Silent Voices . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780691123783.
- Fiorina, Morris. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America . New York, NY: Longman, 2004. ISBN: 9780321317735.
- Stimson, James A. Tides of Consent: How Public Opinion Shapes American Politics . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780521601177.
- Zaller, John. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780521407861.
- Key, V.O. Public Opinion and American Democracy . New York, NY: Random House, 1961, pp. 3-18. ISBN: 9780394303222.
- Herbst, Susan. Numbered Voices: How Public Opinion Polling Has Shaped American Politics . Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1993, introduction, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780226327426.
- Blumer, Herbert. “Public Opinion and Public Opinion Polling.” American Sociological Review 13, no. 5 (1948): 542-549.
- Newcomb, Theodore M. “Public Opinion and Public Opinion Polling: Discussion.” American Sociological Review 13, no. 5 (1948): 549-552.
- Woodward, Julian. “Public Opinion and Public Opinion Polling: Discussion.” American Sociological Review 13, no. 5 (1948): 552-554.
- Converse, Philip E. “Changing Conceptions of Public Opinion in the Political Process.” Public Opinion Quarterly 51 (1987): Supplement 12-24.
- WEEK #: 2 · TOPICS: Measuring Public Opinion: Sampling and Collecting Data · READINGS: Asher, Herbert. Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know . 6th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004, chapters 4-5. ISBN: 9781568028330.
- Zaller, John, and Stanley Feldman. “A Simple Theory of the Survey Response: Answering Questions versus Revealing Preferences.” American Journal of Political Science 36, no. 3 (1992): 579-616.
- Tourangeau, Roger, Lance J. Rips, and Kenneth Rasinski. The Psychology of Survey Response . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780521572460.
- Berinsky, Adam. Silent Voices: Public Opinion and Political Representation in America . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005, introduction, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780691123783.
- Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Scott Keeter. What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997, introduction, chapter 2. ISBN: 9780300072754.
- Asher, Herbert. Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know . 6th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004, chapter 2. ISBN: 9781568028330.
- Berinsky, Adam. Silent Voices: Public Opinion and Political Representation in America . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005, chapter 2. ISBN: 9780691123783.
- Zaller, John. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992, chapters 2, 3, and 6. ISBN: 9780521407861.
- Achen, Christopher H. “Mass Political Attitudes and the Survey Response.” American Political Science Review 69 (1975): 1218-1231.
- Converse, Philip E. “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics.” In Ideology and Discontent . Edited by David Apter. New York, NY: Free Press, 1964. ISBN: 9780029007600.
- Kinder, Donald R. “Diversity and Complexity in American Public Opinion.” In Political Science: The State of the Discipline. Edited by Ada Finifter. Washington, DC: APSA Press, 1983. ISBN: 9780915654581.
- Zaller, John. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992, chapters 4-5. ISBN: 9780521407861.
- Sears, David O., Richard R. Lau, Tom Tyler, and A. M. Allen Jr. “Self-Interest versus Symbolic Politics in Policy Attitudes and Presidential Voting.” American Political Science Review 74 (1980): 670-684.
- Green, Donald Philip, and Jonathan A. Cowden. “Who Protests: Self-Interest and White Opposition to Busing.” The Journal of Politics 54 (1992): 471-496.
- Cambell, Andrea. “Self-Interest, Social Security, and the Distinctive Participation Patterns of Senior Citizens.” American Political Science Review 96 (2002): 565-574.
- Conover, Pamela J. “The Influence of Group Identifications on Political Perception and Evaluation.” The Journal of Politics 46 (1984): 760-784.
- Kinder, Donald R., and Lynn M. Sanders. Divided by Color: Racial Politics and Democratic Ideals . Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1996, chapter 5. ISBN: 9780226435749.
- Sniderman, Paul M., Thomas Piazza, Philip E. Tetlock, and A. Kendrick. “The New Racism.” American Journal of Political Science 35 (1991): 423-447.
- Berinsky, Adam, and Tali Mendelberg. “The Indirect Effects of Discredited Stereotypes: Social and Political Traits in Judgments of Jewish Leaders.” American Journal of Political Science 49, no. 4 (2005): 845-864.
- Feldman, Stanley, and John Zaller. “The Political Culture of Ambivalence.” American Journal of Political Science 36 (1992): 268-307.
- Chong, Dennis. “How People Think, Reason, and Feel about Rights and Liberties.” American Journal of Political Science 37 (1993): 867-99.
- Fiorina, Morris. Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America . New York, NY: Longman, 2004. ISBN: 9780321317735.
- Iyengar, Shanto, Mark Peters, and Donald R. Kinder. “Experimental demonstration of the not-so-minimal consequences of television news programs.” American Political Science Review 76 (1982): 848-858.
- Gilens, Martin. Why Americans Hate Welfare . Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000, chapters 5 and 6. ISBN: 9780226293653.
- Pollock III, Philip H. “Issues, Values, and Critical Moments: Did ‘Magic’ Johnson Transform Public Opinion on AIDS?” American Journal of Political Science 38, no. 2 (May 1994): 426-446.
- Druckman, James. “The Implications of Framing Effects for Citizen Competence.” Political Behavior 23 (2001): 225-256.
- Stimson, James A. Tides of Consent: How Public Opinion Shapes American Politics . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 1-82. ISBN: 9780521601177.
- Bartels, Larry M. “Uninformed Votes: Information Effects in Presidential Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 40 (1996): 194-230.
- Page, Benjamin I., and Robert Y. Shapiro. “Effects of Public Opinion on Policy.” American Political Science Review 77 (1983): 175-190.
- Stimson James A., Michael B. MacKuen, and Robert S. Erikson. “Dynamic Representation.” American Political Science Review 89 (1995): 543-565.
- Bartels, Larry M. “Homer Gets a Tax Cut: Inequality and Public Policy in the Public Mind.” Perspectives on Politics 3, no. 0101 (2005): 15-31.
- Zaller, John. “Coming to Grips with V. O. Key’s Concept of Latent Opinion.” In Electoral Democracy . Edited by Michael MacKuen and George Rabinowitz. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780472068203.
- Mueller, John. “Trends in Popular Support for the Wars in Korea and Vietnam.” American Political Science Review 65 (1971): 358-75.
- Feaver, Peter D., Chris Gelpi, and Jason Reifler. “Success Matters: Casualty Sensitivity and the War in Iraq.” International Security 30, no. 3 (Winter 2005-06): 7-46.
- Berinsky, Adam, and James Druckman. “Public Opinion Research, Presidential Rhetoric, and Support for the Iraq War.” Public Opinion Quarterly (2007). Forthcoming.
- Berinsky, Adam. “Assuming the Costs of War: Events, Elites, and the American Public.” Journal of Politics (2007). Forthcoming.
- Kull, Steven, Clay Ramsey, and Evin Lewis. “Misperceptions, the Media, and the Iraq War.” Political Science Quarterly 118, no. 4 (2003): 569-598.
- Verba, Sidney. “The Citizen as Respondent: Sample Surveys and American Democracy.” American Political Science Review 90 (1996): 1-7.
- Berelson, Bernard. “Democratic Theory and Public Opinion.” Public Opinion Quarterly 16, no. 3 (1950): 313-330.
- Zaller, John. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992, chapter 12. ISBN: 9780521407861.
- Berinsky, Adam. Silent Voices: Public Opinion and Political Representation in America . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005, conclusion. ISBN: 9780691123783.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2007
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.